Transit America, Inc.

Michael J Pavlick

Robert J Sauer

A bi-directionally openable hatch cover hinge and lock device for hatch covers which close the hatches on top of railroad cars and which are openable from either side of the car, utilizing a minimum number of component parts and including a passive captive device for the hatch cover to prevent loss of the cover if the latches on one side are left open and the hatch is opened from the other side, and also including an integrated one piece yoke top and handle with a pivoted cam lock attached to the handle, the pivoted cam lock being weight biased toward its locked position and being prevented from rotating beyond its weight biased locking condition by a stop pin.

Hatch cover hinge and lock assembly having safety interlock for hinge

A manually operated railroad car handbrake release system in which the release of the handbrake at one end of a car automatically causes release of the brakes at the opposite end of the same car. The system utilizes the standard type handbrake, but has affixed to each of the handbrake units a hydraulic cylinder, with interconnecting hydraulic lines between hydraulic cylinders located at opposite ends of the railcar. Brake releasing actuation at one handbrake unit pressurizes the hydraulic system so that the cylinder affixed to the brake unit at the opposite end of the car is also actuated to operate the release handle and release the brake at that end. When the release handles are actuated and released, return springs disposed about the cylinders piston rods automatically return the release handles and pistons at both ends to their non-actuated positions. The brake release system is operative from either end of the railroad car, and does not include any provision for resetting the brakes. Setting of the manually operated brakes is carried out as though the brake release system did not exist, namely, each brake mechanism must be individually operated to set its associated brake.

Railroad car handbrake release system

An elastomeric vertical isolator pad for placement between the roller bearing adaptors of railroad cars and the car truck sideframes, the pad being formed of an elastomer having a melting point not lower than 500.degree. Fahrenheit and having a Shore hardness durometer in the range of 50 to 70, the pad being configured to have a base and lower sidewall portions which fit snugly within a pocket on the top of the bearing adaptor, and having upper sidewalls portions extending upward beyond the upper surface of the bearing adaptor to a pad upper surface configured for surface engagement with an overlying part of the truck sideframe, the upper sidewall portions being angled inwardly to the pad upper surface.

Railroad car vertical isolator pad

A quickly installable and removable integral lightweight floor structure trailer adaptor for railroad well cars for converting the well car from one for use with containers to one for carrying trailers, including a plurality of substantially equal height parallel disposed lightweight beams having substantially coplaner upper surfaces fixedly interconnected to form a rigid platform for the wheels of a trailer, the height of the beams being such as to raise the underside of a trailer to an elevation above the well car sidewalls a sufficient distance to provide withdrawal clearance for the loading arms of a trailer loading crane when the trailer with the adaptor carried thereby is loaded into the well car, and quick detachable coupling means securing the adaptor to the wheels of a trailer bogie with the tires seated on the adaptor to effectively restrain movement of the adaptor relative to the trailer wheels. The adpator beams are of sufficient length to fit between and span the distance between the well car sidewalls and are of sufficient height to elevate a fully downwardly extended trailer landing gear above the normal floor plane of the well car when the trailer is seated in the well. Also provided are structures for longitudinal and lateral positioning of the adaptor relative to the rear wheels of a trailer bogie.

Well car trailer adaptor

Apparatus for adapting well cars for trailer carrying use without degrading its double stacked container capability, including a trailer hitch head and mounting pedestal attached to the end deck of the well car for securing the trailer kingpin onto the car mounted hitch head, and a plurality of lightweight aluminum floor beams or panels which support the trailer bogies. The beams can be dropped into place on the car floor with locating pins providing the fore and aft positioning, and are sufficiently light that two men can lift and position them. In two forms the beams bridge between the lower side sills of the car and transfer the vertical load by bearing on the inward turned flange portion of the side sill, and in another form are partly supported by the car lower end plate. The floor beams structures add only approximately 500 to 600 pounds in weight, rather than the 5,000 pounds of a permanent type floor, and do not raise the trailer height above the normal double stacked container height. The floor beams height, on the order of one foot, permits the trailer to be loaded onto the well car with the trailer landing gear in fully downwardly extended position instead of having to retract the landing gear, which permits the trailer to be loaded and unloaded at siding in approximately half the time it takes to load and unload if the landing gear had to be raised and lowered. The height of the floor beams stops the vertical descent of the trailer at a point were there is adequate clearance for the crane loading arms to release the trailer after depositing it into the well car. Means for locking the beams assembly together is provided.

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Blue Bell, PA, United States of America

Michael J Pavlick